The Effects of Fall Health Belief and Knowledge of Fall on the Prevention of Fall in the Elderly: Mediating and Moderating Effects of Fall Fear

Purpose: This descriptive study investigated the mediating and moderating effects of fear of fall on the relationships between health belief on fall, fall-related knowledge and fall prevention behaviors among older adults Methods: We enrolled 229 older adults residing in a senior citizen hall and community welfare center, and investigated their health belief on fall, fall-related knowledge, fall prevention behavior, and fear of fall. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and t-test were used to analyze differences in variables. Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used to investigate mediating and moderating effects of the fear of fall on the relationships between health belief on fall, fall-related knowledge, and fall prevention behaviors. Results: The fear of fall significantly mediated the health belief on fall and fall prevention behaviors, but there was no significant mediation between knowledge of fall and fall prevention behaviors. The fear of fall did not have a moderating effect on the relationships between health belief on fall, knowledge of fall, and fall prevention behaviors. Conclusion: It is important to investigate and implement health belief on fall and fear of fall among older adults to improve their fall prevention behaviors